


The Case of the Kidnapped Hamster

by StBridget



Series: The Hamster Tails [2]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-10 18:27:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8928289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StBridget/pseuds/StBridget
Summary: When Whiskers disappears, Mac is positive he knows who the culprit is.  What happens when he's wrong?





	

**Author's Note:**

> MacGyver is property of CBS and its creators.
> 
> FrozenHearts said they could see Riley kidnapping Whiskers, and that's the story I set out to right. However, literally between one sentence and the next, the story took a left turn and refused to get back on track. Hope you enjoy anyway!

When Whiskers disappeared, Mac knew exactly where to go.  Exactly 11 minutes and 42 seconds after discovering she was missing, Mac was on Riley’s doorstep, pounding on her door.  “I know you’re in there, Riley!  Open up!” he shouted.

Riley opened the door, doing a good job of looking surprised to see him.  “Why, Mac, I wasn’t expecting you.  What brings you here?”

“Don’t give me that.  You know perfectly well why I’m here,” Mac snapped.  He brushed by her into the apartment.  “Where is she?”

“Where is who?”  Mac had to admit, she was good.  Hanging out with him and Jack was doing wonders for her bluffing skills.

“Whiskers.” 

Riley was less convincing this time.  “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

Mac whirled on her.  “Oh, yes, you do.  Where is my hamster?”

Riley was determined to bluff it out.  Mac had to admire that.  “Why would I have your hamster?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Mac said with feigned casualness.  “Maybe because you’ve tried to smuggle her out the last 6 times you’ve visited.”

Riley couldn’t come up with a convincing reply to that.  It was true.  Maybe she had nearly walked off— _accidentally,_ mind you—with the hamster.  _Once_.  Okay, maybe more than once.  But she hadn’t for a while—not since Mac had unashamedly patted her down before finding Whiskers in her jacket pocket.  (“Ah, man, I wish I could have done that,” Bozer had whined when Riley told him.  He’d deserved something a lot harder than the punch in the arm she’d given him.”)  This time she was innocent.

Mac clearly didn’t believe her.  He was already tearing apart her apartment.  He tossed all the cushions off the couch, then got down on his hands and knees to peer under it.  He checked all the cabinets in the kitchen, high and low, then reamed her out for having chemicals under the sink where a hamster could easily find them.

“I don’t have a hamster,” Riley pointed out.

“You have _my_ hamster,” Mac shot back.  “You’d better not have let anything happen to Whiskers.”

“Mac, listen to me, I don’t have Whiskers,” Riley insisted.  She blocked Mac’s way as he started towards her bedroom.  “You’ve got to believe me.”

Mac gave her an appraising look.  She certainly seemed sincere, and he knew she wasn’t that good a bluffer, even if she was getting better.  Still. . .”Swear?”

 “I swear,” Riley said solemnly.  “Yes, I may have tried to sneak her out a couple of times”—she glared when Mac opened his mouth—“just for a _visit_.  Us girls gotta stick together, you know.  But I would never, ever, willingly do anything to hurt her, nor would I take her and not give her back.”

“So, where is she?” Mac demanded.

Riley was about to say she had no idea when another knock—far less demanding this time—sounded at her door.

“Who’s that?” Mac asked.

“Dunno.  I wasn’t expecting anyone.  Maybe it’s some maniac demanding his hamster back,” Riley said sarcastically.  “Oh, wait.  That was you.”

Mac glared at her.  Riley ignored him and opened the door.  Bozer was standing on her doorstep.  “Bozer!   What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I brought you a present, my sweet.”  Bozer held up a small, cardboard carrier with “small pet” on the side.  Riley got a sinking feeling in her stomach.  She had a pretty good idea what was in that box.

Sure enough, Bozer opened the carrier and pulled out a brown and white ball of fluff.  “Whiskers!” Mac exclaimed.

Bozer looked startled.  “What?  No, this isn’t Whiskers.”

“Yes, it is!” Mac insisted.  “What are you doing with my hamster?”

“First of all,” Bozer said, “technically, she’s my hamster, and second of all, nothing.”  He reached into the box and drew out a second ball of fur.  He presented it to Riley.  “For you, oh, beautiful one.”

“Bozer!  You got me a hamster!” Riley squealed.  “You shouldn’t have!”

“Oh, yes, he should have,” Mac muttered.  “Now, maybe you’ll quit taking mine.  Speaking of which,” he turned to Bozer, “you never did explain what you’re doing with my hamster.”

“I just wanted to make sure Whiskers got along with her new friend.  After all, they’re going to have beautiful hamster babies together.”

“No,” Mac said flatly.  “There will be no hamster babies, beautiful or otherwise.”

“Why not?” Bozer wanted to know.

“Two reasons:  One, Whiskers is spayed.  Two, they’re both girls.”

“Are you sure?” Bozer asked.

Riley lifted up her hamster.  “Yep, pretty sure.”

“Oh.”  Bozer sounded disappointed.  “Well, they can still have little hamster play dates, right?”

“Absolutely,” Riley said.  She rubbed her nose against the hamster’s.  “What I am I going to call you, cutie-pie?”

“I was thinking Wonder Hamster,” Bozer said.  “You know, to go with Super Hamster here.”

“Her name is Whiskers,” Mac reminded him.  “I thought we already went over this.”

Riley ignored them both, staring deep into the hamster’s eyes, as if they would reveal the hamster’s True Name.  “I think I’ll name her Squeakers.”

“Squeakers?!?” Bozer said.  “Why would you do that?”  Riley glared at him, and he backed off.  “I mean, Squeakers is a wonderful name.  Squeakers it is.”

Riley nuzzled the hamster.  “Welcome to the family, Squeakers.  I’ll take good care of you, you’ll see.  Hey, Mac!”

Mac had a feeling he knew what was coming.  He wasn’t disappointed.

“Will you build Squeakers a complex like you did for Whiskers?”

Mac wanted to say no, he really did, but the opportunity to work with his hands, even for the benefit of a hamster, was practically irresistible.  Besides, Riley was looking at him with eyes to rival Squeakers’.  “Sure.”

Riley squealed and hugged him.  “Thanks, Mac!”  She turned to Bozer and hugged him, too.  “Thanks, Bozer!  You guys are the best friends ever.”

“There’s just one condition,” Mac said.

“What?”

“Leave Whiskers alone.”


End file.
